


A Letter From Home

by ShayneyL



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Gen, Multi, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 06:48:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20421704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShayneyL/pseuds/ShayneyL
Summary: Neelix finds out thatVoyagerfinally made it back to Earth.





	A Letter From Home

**Author's Note:**

> Writer's Month 2019, Day 27. The prompt is "celebration."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Neelix watched the video over and over again. There were many different angles, as well as an overview of the entire scene, and he wanted to see it all.

"Is it bad news?" Brax asked. 

"No," Neelix said. "It's good news. _Voyager_ finally reached home."

Brax came over, curious, and Neelix let him sit in his lap so he could see the screen. "They found a shortcut. A Borg transwarp corridor that took them directly to Earth."

"It looks like a party," Brax said. The screen was showing an overview of the large reception hall, where hundreds of people were gathered in small groups. 

"It was, sort of. There was a period of quarantine, and a lot of de-briefings, then they were released to finally see their loved ones, come from all over the Alpha Quadrant." Neelix touched a control, to switch cameras. "There, that's Captain Janeway." She was hugging two women, one about her age, one much older. "I think that's her mother and her sister."

Brax watched silently, and Neelix switched to another camera. "That's Mr. Vulcan," he said. 

"He doesn't look happy," Brax noted.

Unlike the humans, there was no hugging or crying or even smiling. Tuvok and a beautiful woman in flowing robes, who must be his wife, merely touched their fingers together. "That's just how Vulcans are," Neelix explained. "Those must be his children and grandchildren." They were arrayed behind T'Pel, stiffly formal. "They're happy, they just don't show it." He watched them for a long moment, then switched to a new camera.

Chakotay had his arm around Seven. They were greeting two women. One was Seven's aunt; Neelix recognized her from the letters she sent to _Voyager_. The other must be Chakotay's sister. She looked much like her brother. Seven looked a little nervous, but she smiled when her aunt showed her a container of strawberry tarts. 

"Seven of Nine, and First Officer Chakotay," Neelix said. "Seven didn't like eating at all at first, but eventually got to like some foods, like strawberries."

"How can you not like eating?" 

"She used to be Borg, and got her nutrients from regenerating."

"What are strawberries?" 

"A delicious fruit of Earth. I have some plants I brought from _Voyager_, but they haven't produced berries yet. When they do, you can try them."

Another camera showed two young women, both with dark auburn hair, in blue sciences uniforms. They were taking turns hugging an older couple. "Megan and Jenny Delaney. That must be their parents."

"They look exactly alike," Brax said. "Are they clones?"

"No, they're twins," Neelix said. "Humans and other races sometimes have more than one baby at once, with the same DNA."

"So they're from the same litter?"

"Something like that." He'd been just as puzzled as Brax when he first met the Delaneys. Twins weren't something that happened to Talaxians, at least that he'd ever heard of. 

"Admiral Paris is Tom's father," Neelix said as the camera switched to show the two embracing. He recognized Owen Paris from the Pathfinder transmissions. "Tom didn't think his father loved him, but I knew he did."

"Parents always love their children," Brax said, with the certainty of childhood.

Neelix knew that wasn't always true, but he didn't say anything. Near Tom was a pretty half-Klingon woman, who was carefully handing a baby over to a dark-haired man. "That's B'Elanna and her father," he said. "And that must be Tom and B'Elanna's baby, meeting her grandfather." Miral had been born after he left _Voyager_, and he hadn't seen her before. From what he could tell, she looked just like her mom, with dark hair and delicate forehead ridges.

The next scene showed a handsome man who was embracing some half-grown, equally handsome children. "That's Lt. Ayala, and those must be his sons." He had really missed his kids, and Neelix was glad to see them reunited. 

He switched cameras again. "That's Ensign Kim. And those must be his parents." Two older humans were shrieking and crying and hugging him. Harry looked embarrassed, but also very happy. "No one on _Voyager_ wanted to get home more than young Harry." It was nice to see it finally happen.

Next, Neelix zoomed in on a girl with red-gold hair, clinging to a fair-haired woman who was introducing her to a man of an alien race Neelix had never seen, at least in person. Naomi, meeting her father for the first time. He had hair the same color as Naomi's, but other than that, he didn't look much like her. He had a lobed, bony forehead, without the little horns Naomi had - but Neelix knew this must be Greskrendtregk.

"That's my goddaughter, Naomi," he explained to Dax. "Her mother was on _Voyager_, but she's never seen her father before." Naomi, having finally decided Greskrendtregk was safe, gave him a hug, though she didn't seem entirely comfortable with him. Understandable; he was a stranger to her. 

"They don't look the same." 

"Apparently, children who are part Ktarian and part human can look very different, depending on the roll of the genetic dice." In Naomi's case, the forehead ridge had become just a line of little horns. 

"Do you miss her?"

"Yes," Neelix said. "But she's almost grown up, and didn't need a godfather any more."

"Do you wish you were there with them?" Brax asked.

Neelix thought about that. "A little," he conceded. "I was with them for seven years, our only goal to get back to Earth. I'm glad Captain Janeway sent me this video. But I'd rather be here with you and your mom." He gave Brax a hug, and the child hugged him back.

An idea suddenly occurred to Neelix. "Tell you what. Let's celebrate _Voyager_ getting home." Dexa was at work, but would be home in a couple of hours. "You can help me make some of the _Voyager_ crew's favorites. We'll surprise your mom with a feast!" 

"Yeah!" Brax said.

"Go pick a bowl of Jiballian berries, and I'll make a Jiballian fudge cake for dessert."

Brax gave a whoop of delight, and ran off toward the greenhouse. Neelix watched the _Voyager_ crew's joyous reunions for a while longer. He knew it wasn't all happy. Some had never made it home. Some crew members' loved ones had given up and moved on, and now had new partners. The Maquis and the _Equinox_ crew had court dates awaiting them, though Captain Janeway said some kind of plea deal was likely. 

Still, this was what they'd worked toward for seven years, and was worth a celebration. "Congratulations, Captain. You got them home." Then he turned off the computer and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.


End file.
